Kia Sportage 2005 and newer

Comments

I did my research and found the Sportage to be the best bang for my buck. One test drive and I was hooked! Traded in my 2002 Mazda Tribute, which I loved - but with 85,000 miles, I decided to retire her. You can't beat the warranty Kia offers, 10 years, 100,000 miles. Would like to hear from anyone out there who's put some miles on the 08. What, if any, problems you are experiencing. I'm in the LX-V6, leather, sunroof, Smart Blue (I call it Miller Lite blue)

Just bought a 2009 sportage, v.6, 4WD. The air bag warning light "off" in front of the passenger seat sometimes goes off and sometimes comes on (not blinking) during a journey. Dealer's answer to my enquiry was - the light would go off to indicate air bag system is activated but if the passenger weights less than 110 lbs, the light would remain on indicating the system is not activated and air bag would not deploy in an accident; this is to prevent air bag injuries to passengers weighing less. No adjustment is possible but the seatbelt alone should be adequate.My wife weighs 80lbs and safety is my main concern. Any suggestions, please. The owner's manual doesn't specify the passenger weight, only warns against children in the passenger seat.

I seem to finely had my problem solved with my 2005 Sportage cruise control.After first changing a switch in the steering column with no cure and then installing a new module still with no success the dealership finally removed the brake pedal switch from a 2009 Sportage in the showroom and installed that which seems to have solved the problem.The mechanic told me this now has a guard bracket over it for protection.

Anyone looking for a new Sportage, this might be a good time to buy. I saw an ad in the StarTribune (Twin Cities) today for new 2008 Sportage I4s with AT for just under $13k. The MSRP was just under $20k. Very nice vehicle for the money!

Kia has recently started notifying owners of certain 2006 & 2007 Sportages about a recall for this same reason. They state the problem is:

"The Stop lamp switch in your vehicle may have been damaged during the assembly process. As a result, the stop lamp switch may malfunction causing one or more of the following conditions to exist:

* The brake lights may not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed.* The brake lights may remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released.* On some occasions, when the vehicle is started, the shifter cannot be moved from the Park (P) position.* If your vehicle is equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), the ESC light may illuminate indicating "ESC OFF."* If your vehicle is equipped with Cruise Control, depressing the brake may not deactivate the Cruise Control System.

The malfunction of the stop lamp switch may put you at risk of a crash.

Your vehicle's Brake and Anti-Lock Brake Systems are not impaired by this issue.

What Will Kia Do?Your Kia dealer will replace your vehicle's stop lamp switch with an improved part at no cost to you.

What If You Have Already Paid To Have This Situation Corrected?If you have incurred expense to remedy this issue prior to the date of this notice, you may have the opportunity to obtain reimbursement for that expense. Please mail your receipts with a cover letter directly to Kia for review and consideration:

A saw somewhere the advice for such a concern is for you to ensure the passenger seat is pushed back as far as it will go. Also keep the chair back slightly declined. The problem with air bags and small people is the force of the air bag deployment hitting the person while they are seated.

As this is internded as advice, there is no guarantee this will keep your passenger safe.

My 2008 Sportage Passenger Airbag light does the same thing. This is a serious safety issue. My daughter and wife each weigh 110 Lbs and the airbag light goes off and on while driving. I know of no other car that acts like this, Many cars have a deployment force based on passenger weight. I've spent a fair amount of time in Korea and the average weight is much less than the USA so they can't possibly be unaware of this issue. I was told by the Kia dealer that the passenger has to be in the seat (and seated properly!!) before turning on the car for the system to work properly. This sounds like a crock to me. You mean if you stop to pick up someone after backing out of the garage you have to turn off and on the car. I think Kia Corporate and the National Transportation Safety Board should be made aware of this serious issue.

Anyone know how far down the oil pickup goes into the drain pan? I ran over a big hunk of wood and dented the pan. This is an '05 Sportage 2.7. I know it's a 2 piece pan, so I'm lucky in that way. I've driven it for a short distance and it seems ok, no oil light or funny noises.

Thanks.

The picture is viewed from the back of the car, if you look below the oil pan drain plug you can see the dent.

I am considering purchasing a 2010 base model Kia Sportage with FWD. I would appreciate any feedback regarding how well this vehicle handles in the snow. Just the typical winter road conditions, maybe a couple of inches of fresh unplowed snow. Also, any information regarding reliablility, especially with the quality of the interior would be appreciated. Thanks for your time :shades: !

I am looking for an original radio or radio plug for my 2002 Kia Sportage. Someone cut the plug wires when attempting to replace the original radio with an upgrade but was unsucessful and messed up the interior lighting and auto lock system. The after market plug doesn't work because it doesn't match. I'm looking for a radio plug or an original radio if that is what I can get. Can anyone help me with this?

Can someone help. All four brakes locked up for no reason. I tried backing up, then I tried pulling and releasing the hand brake to no avail. This is a 2005 Kia Sportage 2.0L Automatic. The brake fluid level is fine. After about an hour the brakes released by themselves.Her's the kicker in the morning my brake pedal went strait to the floor, so I had to pump the brakes to get that hard feeling.Would there be an airlock problem, or should the master cylinder be replaced

Kia is said to be releasing a new 2.0 turbo version of the Sportage early next year. If the engine is used in it's current form, that'll mean the Sportage will have 276 HP. That should make for a very fun-to-drive version of this vehicle. Anyone else giddy with anticipation?

My cruise control is out on my 05 Sportage and I'm trying to get it fixed without having to take it to the dealer since it's over an hour and a half away from my house. What exactly did they do to replace yours?

Yeah, I just bought my Kia Sportage. Cruise Control wouldn't set so I was looking for various ways to fix it for the time being. Pressing on the brakes helps sometimes. Lifting the brakes up with your right foot helps sometimes too. Apparently, the solution is to either replace the brake light switch or the brake bulbs or the fuses. There's a short I'm guessing somewhere. With that said, everything else has been awesome!

Signed up for 2010 Kia Sportage LX 4x4 A/T (46K ml), but decided to sleep on it before finalizing the deal.Feel jittery...I had VW and Audi's (sedans) all my life before and while those are most fun to drive, I *always* had problems with needing constant repairs -- big and small, from getting a peach 1999 "New" Jetta to needing to replace a whole auto tranny on 1999 VW Passat (and that was last yr it was made in Germany for the U.S. market, so was supposed to be good) to various valves/vacuum/oxigen sensor failure (..or something..) (MAJOR) on 2004 Audi A4 Quattro, not to mention almost constant gazillion issues with coils, bulb sensors, you name it. They are so computerized that it gets out of whack *all*the*time*! Is this the price to pay for a legendary Quattro drive/feel? (which is amazing, no doubt; addictive forever, but I am getting more practical now and want a reliable small SUV for short commutes to work and just around, but especially frequent ski trips. I found Sportage to be very fit for the task (and the wallet). I'm at the point where I need a reliable car without spending a bundle on a luxury bling, even a useful one (life's priorities and perspectives do change with time...) I've read all the posts here (and elsewhere on the web) and while I see some problems here and there people have, it's nothing even close to what you would find on the VW/Audi forums: there's a subculture there to deal with all the various things that go wrong with that brand, it's like you need to embrace it as a hobby (which is actually exactly what those fans end up doing).

I guess what I am asking is, in general, is Kia Sportage approximately as reliable as (or in a reasonably relative terms as) Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V (nevermind arguably better engine & gearbox configuration/differences in those cars -- I'm just asking strictly reliability-wise). I see Sportage most often compared to these two makes/models; they seem to play in the same niche. Just asking about general reliability and proneness to major breakdowns. And, more specifically, at 45K miles (2010 model) is it "over the hill" or still has a whole bright future ahead of it? -- Would appreciate any feedback from those who are on their 50K, 60K, 70K, or even 80+K, if there are such people :-) What is a generally expected "sun-down"/"max-out"/"get rid of it, if you don't want to deal with repairs all the time" mileage threshold for Sportage -- what's your expectation and/or experience? How far would you be comfortable stretching it? When would you be considering trading it in or passing it on to your student kid or that younger cousin always in need?